‘Why was plaint lodged after 2 hours?’

LUDHIANA: A day after Rs 6.5 lakh cash was looted from a businessman in Kochar Market, police are busy investigating the angle of an insider being involved in the crime.
The cops are worried with the fact that even as the incident took place at 1.05pm, the complainants approached police almost two hours later, despite Kochar Market police post being is just 400 metres away.

However, the cops have traced the owner of car used in crime in Mukatsar Sahib district and a police team has also reached there.

On Thursday afternoon, four men, one of them in uniform, posed as CIA officials turned up at a tile store in Kochar market. Dharmesh Kumar, the brother of the owner Manoj Kumar, and some other workers were present at the shop at that time. Manoj was not present there as he had gone to the godown on Jalandhar bypass. The four men accused Dharmesh of being involved in Hawala money exchange and claimed their visit to be a CIA raid. They started searching the drawers and found Rs 6.5 lakh which they took. While fleeing with the cash, they also took Dharmesh along and later dumped him near Passi Nagar Chowk on Pakhowal road.

The accused were captured in a CCTV installed in the market. It showed them fleeing in a Skoda car with its registration number DL 9 CQ 5738.

Investigating officer from Kochar Market police post ASI Kulwant Chand said the car is from Delhi which has further been sold to a Mukatsar resident. A police team has been sent there. The official added, the owner is also into the business of money exchange. Police are exploring all angles in the case including the involvement of any insider. Kulwant said, “The workers including Dharmesh are being questioned. They informed police two hours after the incident took place and did not even raise an alarm to seek help from the busy market area.”

The assistant commissioner of police (ACP-Crime) Surinder Mohan said so far, any angle of personal enmity has not been ascertained.

ACP added, “Similar incidents have been reported in the city and even the modus operandi is the same. However, in majority of the cases, the accused have been arrested. Police are questioning criminals involved in such cases, besides the workers of tile store.”